A Politician in the Family

I traveled to Topeka this week to see my dad get sworn in as a member of the state Board of Education.  Jim was elected in November and is representing District 10 (Wichita, not Panam) for the next four years.  He's dedicated his life to education, so this seems like the logical next step.  We're so proud!




The Fam.



The Lieutenant Governor Swore Him In.



We're so darn proud.



The swearing in.

Top 10 Questions Asked by 6th Graders

Oh hi!  Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesdays!  A reminder that I'm in desperate need of top 10 lists to make and share.  Think.  And get back to me.  Seriously.

School started back up last week and with a new semester came brand new classes*.  That's 123 new students, new names to learn, and new faces to remember.  I love them all already.  I can't help it.  They are awesome.

To help me get to know the kids, I always have them fill out a get to know you form on the first day.  The form that my 6th graders fill out has a question that says, "If you could ask your teacher one question, what would it be?"  I always get a kick out of the things they ask and if we ever have a few minutes left at the end of class I'll pull the forms out and answer some questions.  I like to pretend I'm a celebrity.

So here they are, the top 10 questions 6th graders asked, and I answered.

1.  What is your favorite color?
          Purple

2.  What is your favorite movie?
          Mean Girls

3.  What is your favorite food?
          Pizza.

4.  How did you learn to cook?
          I have no idea.  I always liked to cook.  My mom always cooked, and I remember doing some baking growing up.  In high school I made a mean panko breaded tofu.  And in college I cooked a lot of mushrooms.  I guess I just watched a lot of Food Network and transferred that knowledge into the kitchen.  I'm no expert, but please don't tell the 6th graders.

5.  How did you learn to sew?
          I took an apparal construction class as part of my FACS certification process.  I'm so glad I did.  I love to sew and if I had more time patience, I would attempt more.

6.  What do you order at Starbucks?
          Non-fat latte.  Don't give me any of that sweet stuff.

7.  How old are you?
          26.  Or, mind your own damn business.

8.  Why don't you like KU?
          Because I didn't go there.  Why do you like them?

9.  Are you strict?
          I'm working on it.  Being that I didn't go through a traditional teacher program, I missed a lot of the classroom management stuff.  I'm still not sure what is and isn't allowed.  Like, phones are only allowed if you are Instagram-ing the food you made.  Right?

10.  Have you ever been broken up with or broken up with someone?
          I died when I read this.  I have plenty of hilarious boy stories.  Plenty.  I'll share with you the one I shared with them.  In 6th grade, I had a boyfriend for something ridiculous like 3 months.  Everyone agreed that is a long time to have a boyfriend in 6th grade.  I don't know why we broke up, but I remember my friends made fun of me for dating him.  And now he's married to one of my best friends from back then and they have an adorable little boy and I love to say that I dated him first.  Moral of the story; everyone has heartache.  Things usually work out in the end.  And 6th grade can be so dramatic.

And, that's it for this addition of Top 10 Tuesday.  If you'd like to join in the party you can answer these questions too!  Unless you have your own 6th graders asking you even funnier questions.  In that case, use those questions. :)

Happy Tuesday!

*Thank freaking goodness.

Top Ten Improvements for 2013

My lovely friend Kaitlin is very concerned about the status of my blogging.  So much so that she came up with a new series for 2013.  She is admittedly not a fan of Meatless Mondays and so she came up with her own spin.

With that, I bring you TOP TEN TUESDAYS.

Kait promises to provide me with a new top ten list to make every week.  So far I haven't seen such a list, and am forced to make my own. 

Last week on New Year's Eve, Daniel Tosh tweeted something about how regardless of our resolutions, we're all going to be the same sad version of ourselves that we've always been. 

I totally agree.  Well, maybe not totally.  I do think it's a mistake when people try to completely reinvent themselves just because it's a new year.  But you know I love resolutions.  And I love the idea of always striving for improvement. 

I am fully aware that I will end 2013 the same person that I began it.  But there are several areas I'd like to improve upon over the course of the next year.  In fact, there might be 10.

1.  Walk the dogs every day.

2.  Stick to our budget!

3.  Sweep, dust, mop, and clean the bathroom every week.

4.  Go to Church every Sunday.

5.  Eat less processed food, more organic food.

6.  Blog more... every Tuesday. :)

7.  Sit at the table for dinner.  Not the couch!

8.  Cook once a week.  Try new recipes. 

9.  Travel far.

10.  Send birthday cards.

While I totally expect to be the same person at the end of the year, maybe I can end 2013 as a slightly better version of that person. 

If you have ideas for a top 10 list you'd like to see, holler at me!  Or, if you'd like, you can join me in Top Ten Tuesdays by making your own list for the week! 

Happy Tuesday!